Thoughts from the Olympic Games

For the past few days I have enjoyed watching some of the Olympic events.  I have been amazed as I see little Gabby Douglas fly high in the air, make several twists and turns in the matter of a split second and then grasp the bar on her way down.  I know I could not do that...not even fifty years ago when I was much younger.  My body simply doesn't do things like that.  Or I watch a Missy Franklin - just another high school girl, but hardly an ordinary one - swim so effortlessly through the water setting record after record.  Yes, I know some of them are professional athletes - competing is what they do for a living.  Others, like Franklin, are amateurs - competing is what they enjoy doing. 

There are a couple of lessons that I have re-learned while watching the Olympics from London.  First, there is a tremendous sense of national pride in all of the athletes.  One can see it written on the faces of those as they stand on the medal podium - whether it is a gold, silver, or bronze medal that is placed around their necks.  And often the tears of joy flow as the national anthem is being played.  The Olympics is still that one venue every four years when I can be an American, or a Canadian, or Japanese, or Moldovian, or Irish and take pride in my national country - no matter how large or small my country is.  All athletes march into the arena during the Opening Ceremonies with a vision in mind - of representing their country's hopes and dreams well.  Most will return home without any medal, but relishing the experience of representing their country as well as they could. 

The second lesson is that of the time it has taken for each athlete to train and prepare himself or herself just to be in the Olympics.  One athlete shared that he had been training every day for four years.  He had lost count of the number of miles he had swum during the course of those four years.  One just does not wake up one morning and say, "I think I will compete in the Olympics today."  No - every athlete is tested with perseverance and dedication.  These two qualities are often lacking in many people's lives today.  We want someone else to do something for us.  We have lost that ability to see something through to the very end; to have a goal and purpose that drives us to do those incredibly difficult things - things we thought we could not do. 

As I read through the life of the Apostle Paul, I believe he was a great fan of sporting contests.  Perhaps he had even attended an Olympics or two while growing up.  He understood the spiritual nature of athletic competition.  He wrote these words to the Corinthian believers: "Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize?  Run in such a way as to get the prize.  Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training.  They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.  Therefore I do not run like a man running aimlessly; I do not fight like a man beating the air.  No, I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize" (1 Corinthians 9:24-27).  Notice Paul says that in a race there are many runners, but only one gets the prize; yet every runner has trained diligently for the race. 

Here is the good news - in serving Jesus Christ we all have the opportunity of receiving not just one prize, but many prizes.  The Bible describes these as crowns.  These come through our faithful service for Jesus Christ.  And such service and such winning is dependent upon our dedication and perseverance to what Jesus has called us to do.  Not only is everyday a day of training, but everyday is also a day of racing.  It was the Apostle Peter who boldly stated that we were to be "always prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have; but do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15).  Our goal is to train well so that we can run well everyday for Jesus Christ. 

Now, in order to do that well, often we will have to sacrifice something that we might enjoy doing or experiencing because that something might cause our service for Christ to be impeded.  A dedicated athlete often has to give up something in order to concentrate on his training.  But he or she considers such sacrifices as merely being steps to help in winning the prize that he or she has set out to accomplish.  I love the way the writer to the Hebrews expresses this truth in a spiritual way: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.  Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith ..." (Hebrews 12:1-2a). 

In these final few days of the London Olympics, more gold, silver, and bronze medals will be won.  Many more athletes will return home with the prize of having competed on the world's stage, being numbered among the world's best.  You and I, as followers of Jesus Christ, also compete on the world's stage, not for gold or silver or bronze, but that we might share the life of Christ with others.  Our prize is not a medal that will soon be forgotten, but the lives of precious men and women, boys and girls who are rescued from darkness and transferred into the kingdom of the light of Jesus Himself.  Oh may we do this with enthusiasm, patience, and great resolve.